Patterned after the famous Hollywood landmark Brown Derby restaurant, the walls of this lovely restaurant are lined with caricatures of the Stars. The tables are covered in crisp white linens and rich, wood paneling is used throughout.
There's a upscale ambiance to the Brown Derby, but you're welcome to dine in your park garb. A live performer may provide the background music during your dining experience.

My husband and I visited the Brown Derby for the first time last October for lunch. It's a beautiful and elegant restaurant. I felt comfortable in my 'theme park' attire but we did have on something a bit nicer than shorts and t-shirts.

Our waiter was very attentive without hovering. Both my husband and I ordered the Cobb salad. I've had Cobb salad before but not the original. This was really good! My husband doesn't like avocado so they made his without. The presentation of the salad was wonderful and then they mix it all there for you at the table.

I planned on getting the grapefruit cake for dessert but I couldn't finish my salad as it was. In fact, we were so full that we basically skipped dinner that night.

The Brown Derby is now on our 'must do' list for future trips.

fightinfire21Mouseketeer

Registered: April 2005Location: Cassville, PAPosts: 300

Review Date: Mon April 27, 2009

Would you recommend the product? No |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 3

Positive aspects of the product (pros):

Cons:

My wife and I ate here for the first time last September (2008). We were on the Dlx Dining Plan and this was a "Signature Resturant" which used two table service credits. I can't really say anything good abour our experience that evening. The food was not anything special, in fact some of it I would call bad. The service was not good at all either. Our waiter was very unattentive. In my opinion you can do much better than this and you can do it at a resturant that is less expensive (or that uses less DP credits). I can't believe that this is considered a Signature Resturant.

We enjoyed our dinner here very much. We had superior service from the wait staff. They were there when we needed them and not when we didn't. The steak was perfectly prepared and the Banana White Chocolate Toffee Tower was delicious. We left stuffed.

If someone blind folded you and dropped you inside the Brown Derby, you would never know you were in a theme park. The cool, relaxing atsmosphere of the restaurant set it apart. The food is always top notch (the cobb salad and the steak in particular) and the servers are attentive. This isn't a place to grab a quick bite, but a place to relax and enjoy a meal. The best restaurant on Disney property.

dpuck1998I'm innocent I tell you...innocent! I've been framed!Worlds second largest Miami Dolphin fan

My friend Sarah and I ate here in August '07 and were very pleased with the restaurant. The space itself is very posh and elegant, yet still very comfortable. For a theme park restaurant, the tables were large and well spaced out. If only one could say that about the restaurants in Epcot! It was a very nice setting, yet were weren't in the least uncomfortable to be in shorts and t-shirts.

Our server was the nicest we had all trip. Overall we were impressed with the quality of servers we had at the various restaurants here, but she was the best. There was just something sweet and motherly about her, and she made us feel looked after and cared for. I'm sure she had other tables, but it always felt like we had her undivided attention when she stopped at our table and she made no effort to rush us through dinner. At the same time, she didn't hover and make us feel crowded. She just made our meal a very good experience for us. It was hard to believe we were in a theme park restaurant.

The food was also very good. For appetizers, I had the crab cake and Sarah had the Lobster Bisque. Both were good, though I think hers might have been better than mine. For our entrees, I had the salmon with soft mascarpone polenta with gorgonzola and Sarah had the grouper. I didn't try her entree, but she seemed to enjoy it. My salmon was very good. The fish was moist and flavorful and the polenta was excellent. For dessert I had the flourless chocolate cake (rich and chocolatey) and Sarah had the grapefruit cake (light and yummy). Both were a success.

This was a great meal, and is probably one of WDW's best restaurants. The only reason either of us may not being in a hurry to return is that neither of us are too fond of Disney-Hollywood Studios. It's easily our least favorite out of the four gates. So dining here might not be as convenient of a choice as some other restaurants. It's probably worth the trip into the park though, so we'll likely come back at some point!

We have eaten here twice, and can say nothing but good things about the Brown Derby. The wait staff is friendly and attentive, without hovering or making you feel rushed, and the food is wonderful. This is another must-do for us!

The food is excellent - none of my family has had any complaints about anything they ordered. The food here puts other WDW restaurants to shame. The setting is so calm and relaxing in a crowded, hot park. It is the perfect place to hide in during the day. We have only been to DHS once without going to the Brown Derby and it felt like we hadn't actually done DHS without it. It is too good to miss.

HBD and Blue Zoo are the two best restaurants on site, and HBD is Disney doing Disney right.

Everytime we dine here we have a delightful meal, last time, even though we had just gotten soaked in a downpour prior - it still was a ray of sunshine.

From the front podium to the table clearers, everyone was polite and there to serve you and make your experience special.

neffernieDIS Veteran

Registered: November 2007Location: florida suncoastPosts: 618

Review Date: Thu June 4, 2009

Would you recommend the product? No |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 3

Positive aspects of the product (pros):

quiet atmosphere

Cons:

price, food, service

I have only eaten here once and will probably never return. I visited with a party of 6(5 adults, 1 child). We had a late reservation that ended up being even later than it was supposed to be because they forgot about our party after we checked in. With much ado we were finally seated 45 minutes after our reservation time and were one of the last groups to get a table. From there things just got worse. My daughter refused to eat her $9 grilled cheese sandwhich because they made it with some kind of 3 cheese blend on nut bread. I asked to make sure that this was the item from the kids menu when it arrived and was assured that it was. My mushroom soup was cold and bland. Even the cobb salad which was supposed to be a specialty seemed like it had been sitting in a bowl all night. Two of our group were vegatarians. Besides the cobb salad, there was only 1 vegatarian entree option. The other two in the party both ordered steak and said it was "Ok". As for service, there is only one word for it, slow.

This place is overpriced and underperforming. It does not deserve the reputation it has recieved.

I've dined at the Brown Derby a number of times and have never been disappointed. My last trip was just a few weeks ago with my son and brother. I had promised my brother that I would take him to the Brown Derby as a belated birthday present. His birthday was back in March, but I was sick at the time and unable to buy him a gift. I told our server that this was a belated birthday present for my brother and we were pleasantly surprised when the server brought a special dessert for my brother, even though it wasn't really his birthday.

Each time I've been at this restaurant the food was delicious and the service was first rate. For theme park food I don't think you can do any better than this!

Wait for Table a little long even with ADR compared to similar restaurants.

Great Food, beautiful interior, service was good.

montgodlMM4ever

Registered: September 2009Posts: 1

Review Date: Mon September 28, 2009

Would you recommend the product? No |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 2

Positive aspects of the product (pros):

nice atmosphere

Cons:

food, service not up to Disney quality

My husband and I ate at the Brown Derby on Sept 21, 2009. We had eaten there during 2 other visits to WDW years ago and were looking forward to spending 2 of our Table Service meals from our Dining Plan for what should have been a quality meal. Instead we were served room temperature, fatty rib steaks by a very snooty waiter. We both ordered ours medium - my husband's was served medium; mine was served rare. We asked that the meals be heated some and mine cooked more. We then both received medium steaks that were actually warm. Based on the temperature of the plates it seemed that they were microwaved. Not to be nit-picking but at those prices, microwaving is not an option. The fingerling potatoe (yes, just one) on my plate was about 1 inch in diameter. We both ordered the cheesecake for desert. We expected spectacular but truthfully, the cheesecake in the cup at the counter service places was much better. We never did get refills on water and coffee. The restaurant was full when we sat down but was over half empty by the time we got our warm meals so it wasn't that they were busy. Maybe everybody else knew something we didn't - don't eat there! We felt very cheated out of what should have been a very nice dinner. It was not worth even 1 table service let alone 2 services. Perhaps eating at Chefs De France and Teppan Edo spoiled us. They were both wonderful and I would highly recommend them to anybody. The Brown Derby is permanently off of our list of places to dine at WDW.

6 in our group. 2 thought is was best place we ate. 2 thought it was ok. 2 thought it was too expensive for what we got. Generally, food was good. Service was OK. We all agree that it really depended on what you ordered - that's what determined the opinions. Not sure this is the place to step out and order something you don't normally eat.

We were a group of 10 and had to wait a bit longer than normal to get our table.
Our waiter was pretty good. Friendly and attentive.
The Cobb Salad was outstanding and I would go there again just to eat that. My daughter and I shared the salad and the entree, the thai noodles, which was also outstanding.
It wasn't the best dining experience I've ever had there but it was far from the worst. I'm not sure if its worth the price. $54 was for a salad and an entree and two drinks..that's pretty pricey.
Our party included to recent Va Tech grads and the waiter brought each of them a free chocolate mousse. This too was very tasty.
I probably wouldn't choose to go here if I were paying for our family of four to each get separate meals and/or if we had really picky eaters.
I had been years ago with my son for Dining with an Imagineer and thought I remembered the food being very good. I was glad to find out I had remembered correctly.

The Brown Derby is one of our favorite places to dine. Well worth the price. We always start with the Cobb salad (a must do) and finish with the grapefruit cake.
One of our best WDW memories happened here. After Nancy Kerrigan (the skater) won her medals she appeared as the Grand Marshall in several of the Magic Kingdom parades. Well, we were seated at our table when she and her entourage came bustling through. Our waitperson had given us a heads up that someone special would be joining us for lunch.

GranfanDIS Veteran

Registered: June 2010Location: Mississippi Gulf CoastPosts: 556

Review Date: Mon October 4, 2010

Would you recommend the product? No |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 4

Positive aspects of the product (pros):

Nice hostesses

Cons:

food quality

My husband and I had lunch at the Brown Derby on Thursday, September 30. We were celebrating our anniversary. Waiter lost interest when we didn't order from the wine list. Nothing explained or suggested, just took our order. The crab cake was tasty except for the heat from some kind of pepper.Jalenpeno, maybe? The filet was terrible, like the kind wrapped in bacon from walmart that you can get for 2.50. It had that awful meat tenderizer aftertaste. For $36.00 I expected it to be more like Le Cellier's filet. Not even close and not 6 ounces as stated, barely 3 ounces. The desserts were not much better. Creme brulee was just egg custard with burned sugar shell and the chocolate dipped biscotti tasted stale and not crisp in the least. The white chocolate banana tower was better. Brown Derby used to be a favorite but sorry, no more.

I loved Brown Derby. I split the Cobb Salad with a friend, Ordered the Scallops from the Appetizer menu, a "martini flight" and the Creme Brulee for Dessert. First, let me say that the ambiance is awesome in this place - love it! The rolls were hot, the salad was divine with lots of bacon and avocado. The scallops were tender and tasty. The martini flights were fun and worth the value. What was disappointing all around was dessert. I got the creme brulee - top wasn't crispy. it was cold and very 'eggy' - not a fan. My friend got the infamous grapefruit cake . . . ugh! Did not enjoy that whatsoever. So, I give it an A on Food, but a D on Dessert. Also, let me say this. I would NEVER use two ticks for this restaurant on the DDP. Pay out of pocket. Use your credits elsewhere.

disneygirl 17Mouseketeer

Registered: July 2008Location: Fort Mill, SCPosts: 236

Review Date: Tue October 26, 2010

Would you recommend the product? No |
Price you paid?: $30.00
| Rating: 8

Positive aspects of the product (pros):

atmosphere

Cons:

price

We stopped in here for lunch and although the food was good it wasn't worth the price. The service was fairly good. We had trouble understanding our waiter but he was friendly. I just felt that $30 for lunch was a little much.

Dined twice in 1 week. Great appetizers and entrees. Menu changes frequently so that's nice. Lots of variety to choose from on the menu. Fantasmic package includes appetizers. Nice to not have to worry about waiting in line for Fantasmic. Favorites - soup (oyster and brie), cobb salad, tuna sashimi, black grouper, filet.

thetony45It Don't Gazinta

Registered: March 2011Location: illinoisPosts: 89

Review Date: Mon March 21, 2011

Would you recommend the product? No |
Price you paid?: $52.00
| Rating: 5

Positive aspects of the product (pros):

reserved Fantasmic seat

Cons:

long wait to be seated

I showed up a few minutes early for my 4:35 reservation so I was prepared to wait for a bit, but I was left waiting for a good half hour past my reservation time.

When I was finally led to the Dining area the first sound I heard as a screaming child. While not out of place for a theme park it was for a resturant that is supposed to be fine dining.

The waiter was quick to recommend the most expensive things on the menu, which was a little on the annoying side but i let it slide.

He was quick to bring me my soda and a basket of rolls, but that was the last i saw of him until my salad arrived despite emptying my glass.

First thing I ordered was the Cobb salad. If the waiter asks to mix it up in front of you I recommand passing. Alot of the salad ended up on the floor and the tablecloth. The salad that was left in the bowl was very good.

Again I had finished my soda but didn't get a refill until my entree came. I had ordered the Duck Two Ways. It was wonderful and was the only part of the meal i didnt have an issue with.

For desert I decided to try the grapefruit cake. It wasn't very moist and left a bad aftertaste in my mouth.

All in all the food was great, the service needs work, but the charactures on the wall helped pass the long waits between courses.

Not worth using 2 credits on the dining plan for.

BahwetingEarning My Ears

Registered: November 2011Posts: 1

Review Date: Tue November 8, 2011

Would you recommend the product? No |
Price you paid?: $50.00
| Rating: 1

Positive aspects of the product (pros):

Fantastic package

Cons:

Not worth weight or credits

We were there 20 minutes before reservation and didn't get seated to our table till 3 hours later. If it wasn't for the fantastic package I would have never stayed. Took two credits off of dining plan and my food was the worst I've eaten in a 11 day stay at the parks. I had the duck and it was plain with out taste. The puree sweet potatoes under it were super salty. Granted if I ate both together it was thenonly way to choke it down. The waitress new the kitchen was backed up and didn't seem to care and did not keep up on drinks at all. 4 hours later it was the worst experience. Only plus was fantastic was awesome. Pick another place to eat though!

We just ate at the Brown Derby on Feb. 13. The food was excellent. Yes, we were seated about 30 minutes past our reservation time. Yes, we almost cancelled when we saw the menu ("fancy" dishes and we weren't sure our picky 10 year old would eat anything on the menu). However, we were VERY glad we kept our reservation. My husband had the pork tenderloin, my 10 year old the filet (we simply asked them to serve the potatoes separately and they happily obliged), I had the chicken and my 7 year old had the fish from the children's menu. It was one of the best meals I've ever had, and I don't normally order chicken in a restaurant! The service was fabulous, and the desserts were to dine for as well. We were all very happy with our meal and will certainly go there again on our next trip to Disney.

Went for lunch in December. My friend and I each ordered a cobb salad and dessert. It was the perfect mid-day meal when you're at a theme park. The cobb salad was as good as promised, having the server mix it table side was a nice touch.

SydneyFalcoStop asking ME about YOUR stuff... just ask me about MINE! That's what the Internet is for!

Registered: October 2008Location: Gatineau, QCPosts: 834

Review Date: Tue January 8, 2013

Would you recommend the product? No |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 6

Positive aspects of the product (pros):

Okay fare; nice server

Cons:

Bland

We were a married Canadian couple travelling the first week of December. Eight nights, deluxe dining plan.

I've always wanted to get around to eating at the Brown Derby, so maybe I had it hyped up too much in my mind. It proved to be maybe the weakest restaurant experience on our trip. Certainly it was the weakest signature experience. (We ate at lunch; so that might have something to do with it.)

I can't pin down what was wrong other than every plate was completely bare bones. No twists, no flair ... just a kinda simplicity approach that was almost "diner style", but applied to fancy cuisine. For instance, my duck two ways might as well have been duck one way, because the straight-forward confit taste, sans noticeable adornment, was identical between them. Ditto my wife's crab roll app and pork chop main. Though excellently cooked, they were bereft of any zing whatsoever. Well cooked but not well prepared; like any other night out at a mid-range gastro-pub.

Look, this was perfectly good high-end food. But because it was outshone by every other restaurant we went to, I'm giving this a 'no' recommendation. I'd spend my bucks or my two TS's at any number of other signature joints first. I get the impression, I dunno, like they're resting on the laurels here. Or maybe we just picked too many safe things.

Before the dining plan, the meals here were spectacular, really something to look forward to. Since the dining plan, the filet has been taken off the menu and the food has gone downhill in my opinion.
That being said, this is still a nice grown up restaurant. If you're looking for a more adult place to eat, this is a good choice.
If they would bring back the filet, we would be back.